The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) is a Federation composed of national societies of bariatric surgeons and Integrated Health professionals. Currently, there are 76 official national member societies of IFSO and 10 thousand members all over the world. There are also individual members from countries that thus far have not formed a national society.

IFSO is a scientific organization that brings together surgeons and integrated health professionals, such as nurses, practitioners, dieticians, nutritionists, psychologists, endocrinologists, internists and anesthesiologists, involved in the treatment of patients affected by obesity.

One of IFSO’s main goals is to support its members in aspects directly related to their profession. One of IFSO’s main activities is the organization of the yearly World Congress, which provides a forum to exchange knowledge on surgical treatment of severely obese patients, to present new techniques, research and concepts, and to meet the experts in the field.

IFSO was founded in Stockholm in 1995. The first International Congress of IFSO was held in Prague in 1996, followed by Cancun in 1997, Bruges in 1998, Salzburg in 1999 and Genoa in 2000. The first President was Nicola Scopinaro (Italy).
To learn more about IFSO’s History please click here.

IFSO also produces a number of guidelines and statements on obesity and its treatment and is committed to the creation of a system for accreditation of individual surgeons and bariatric centers around the globe. The main goal of IFSO is the optimization of the treatment of patients affected by obesity.